Alana Malfoy
by thelilmama1986
Summary: Ever since fifth year, Harry has had to endure abuse at the hands of his "friends". How will a little blonde-haired, grey-eyed girl change his life? Summary sucks! Please give story a chance!
1. chapter 1

Harry Potter sighed as he looked around the Great Hall, wincing at the pain in his side. He was pretty sure he had at least one broken rib. A "Welcome Back" gift from Ron and a few other Gryffindors. He wasn't even sure what he'd done wrong this time. It'd been this way ever since fifth year, when the Department of Mysteries incident happened. Apparently his "friends" were convinced he was dangerous and this was their way of keeping him in line.

The worst part was he couldn't even go to anyone for help. Sirius was dead, Remus blamed him for what happened, Dumbledore was convinced it was just a little "spat", and McGonagall flat out refused her lions would be vicious to another Housemate. The one time he went to Pomphrey, the woman had told him if he was going to get into a fight, to just take responsibility and stop blaming everyone else.

Not wanting to face his Housemates, the 7th year had gone to breakfast early. After a few minutes of picking at his eggs, Harry stood up and limped out of the Great Hall to his first class, Potions. In the Entrance Hall, he froze. Ron, Dean, and Seamus were standing in front of a terrified first year Slytherin. Slowly, he made his way over to them.

"You don't even deserve to be here," Ron hissed. The little girl was trembling. She had platinum blonde hair, pulled into a french braid, and grey-blue eyes. In short, she looked almost identical to Draco Malfoy. Gathering his courage, he stepped in front of the girl. "Harry," Ron growled warningly. Harry took a deep breath and met Ron's furious gaze.

"She has every right to be here," Harry said softly, trying to hide his fear. Ron was about to say something but instead, obviously not wanting to do something with so many witnesses, he turned and stalked into the Great Hall. Dean and Seamus followed. Harry turned to the girl.

"Hi," he said with a gentle smile. "I'm Harry Potter."

"A...Alana M...Malfoy," she whispered. Harry hid his surprise.

"Nice to meet you, Alana."

Draco Malfoy sat at the Slytherin Table, worriedly scanning the Hall for his sister. Just as he was about to go searching for her, Alana came in holding the hand of none other than Harry Potter. He frowned when he saw the tears on her pretty face. He watched, shocked, as Potter knelt, whispered in her ear, and hugged her. Then Potter stood up and left quickly, while Alana came running over and sat next to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, filling her plate. She shrugged and started eating. "Alana?" She looked at him and sighed.

"I ran into three Gryffindors," she began slowly.

"What did Potter do?" he growled. She shook her head quickly.

"Not him," she replied. "Somebody named Weasley and two other boys." Draco took a few deep breaths to cool his temper. "Weasley was really angry. He told me I didn't deserve to be here. That's when Harry stepped in front of me." Draco raised an eyebrow. "He told Weasley that I have every right to be here." The others left and he walked me here to make sure I was safe." Alana smiled.

Draco sighed again. He would never understand how his sister got into Slytherin. She was quiet, smiled a lot, and was way too trusting. The only reason she probably got into Slytherin was because she was a Malfoy and the hat knew no other House would accept her. Luckily, the other Slytherins accepted her, even though she had a different type of personality. Draco looked up at his sister and ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle.

Harry took a deep breath as he slipped into the common room and silently made his way to the dorms. Classes were over for the day, as was dinner, and Harry hoped that Ron had forgotten the "incident" that happened that morning. He was halfway to the stairs when he felt a hand grab his shoulder and he was turned around, harshly.

"You didn't think I would forget this morning, did you?" Ron hissed. He suddenly grinned and Harry took a step back. "I think we need to up the punishment, don't you?" Dean and Seamus both laughed.

"Please," Harry whispered but they ignored him as they dragged him to the dorm.

Hermione Granger took a deep breath and walked into the castle. She'd stayed home the first week of school because her mom had just died and she wasn't ready to face anyone.

Hearing noise from the Great Hall, she realized it was dinner time. Leaving her trunk for the House Elves, she hurried in, a smile lighting her face when she saw a familiar ravenhaired boy at the Gryffindor Table. She frowned when she saw his grimace of pain and the fact that he was sitting alone worried her. Straightening her shoulders, she sat across from him. Harry slowly looked up and blinked when he saw her.

"Hey Harry," she said softly and he gave a slight smile.

"Hi Hermione," he replied. "I'm sorry about your mom." Hermione shrugged.

"I stayed home for my dad." She hesitated and then spoke again. "My mom and I...we didn't get along. Ever since I started here." Harry nodded sympathetically, knowing how she felt. "So how have you been?" She asked, changing the subject. Harry shrugged. Before she could say anymore, she heard someone shouting Harry's name. A young girl came running over. Hermione raised an eyebrow when she saw Draco Malfoy following the girl, who was obviously a first year.

Turning back to Harry, she was about to say something but stopped when she saw his face. His eyes had brightened and he was smiling the first genuine smile she'd seen since she sat down. Harry pulled the young girl onto his lap and looked at Hermione.

"Hermione, this is Alana Malfoy. Alana, this is Hermione Granger, my best friend."

 **Author's Note:**

What did you think? I promise I haven't abandoned Slytherin Adoption but this story has been on my mind for a while.


	2. Chapter 2

For a moment, it was silent as Hermione stared. Then she smiled and held out her hand as Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's nice to meet you, Alana." The young girl grinned.

"Nice to meet you too, Hermione," she replied as she placed her smaller hand in Hermione's.

"I'm sorry, Potter." Hermione looked at the Slytherin in shock. _Draco Malfoy_ had just apologized? What the hell had been going on since she'd been gone? "Lana just wanted to say thank you for yesterday morning." Harry didn't respond. Hermione looked at him and then where he was staring. Ron was standing in the entrance of the Great Hall, flanked by Dean and Seamus, glaring at Harry.

"Lana, we better go eat," Malfoy said as he quickly helped Alana to her feet. Hermione tore her eyes from Ron and realized why Malfoy was taking his sister. Harry's face was white and he was shaking.

"Harry, are you…" She was interrupted by Ron sitting next to her.

"Hermione, it's good to have you back." Ron's eyes never left Harry as he spoke. Hermione studied Harry's face, which was getting paler by the second, for a few more minutes before forcing a bright smile and turning to the red-head.

"It's great to be back." She turned back to Harry, but the raven-haired boy was gone. She frowned but continued eating, not sure if she should follow Harry or if her best friend would even welcome her company.

At the Slytherin Table, Alana was unusually quiet. Considering her normal sunny and cheerful disposition, it was a little disconcerting to see her look so solemn. In addition, she was pushing her food around her plate with a fork instead of eating. Gently, he placed his hand on hers, stopping her movement and as he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Alana, are you alright?" His little sister sighed and looked up Draco, her eyes a little watery.

"Something's wrong with Harry, isn't there?" Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise at Alana's perceptiveness. Just when he was really starting to question her placement in Slytherin, she did or said something that assured him she was in the right house. After all, his sister hadn't known Harry very long and had only been in the presence of the other teen a total of two times. Draco had also observed that something was different with Potter, but then again, why wouldn't he? He'd spent the past six years watching Harry's every movement.

"I'm not sure," he said slowly, "but I believe you might be correct." Alana nodded and pushed her uneaten plate away.

"I think it's because of Weasley." Draco just stared at her, shocked. Potter and Weasley had been friends since they first met on the train in first year. Weasley had a temper, Draco knew that first hand, but he would never hurt Potter, would he? "When Harry stepped in front of me yesterday, he was shaking even as he told Weasley to leave me alone," Alana went on, unaware of Draco's inner musings. "Then, just now, when he saw Weasley enter, he got real quiet and he was trembling. I could feel it."

Draco stayed quiet as he thought over her words. It was true. That was why he'd taken Alana back to the Slytherin Table. Potter had been shaking so much he was worried she'd fall off his lap. When he'd followed the raven-haired boy's gaze, he'd been very surprised to see that he was staring at Weasley. Maybe Alana was onto something here.

"We'll keep an eye on him, Lana," Draco said quietly. "If things get worse, we will tell Uncle Severus." Alana nodded, appeased for now, and dragged her plate back in front of her, finally eating her dinner.

 **Author's Note:**

Sorry the chapter was so short! I honestly couldn't think of any more to add to this, but hopefully the next chapter will be up soon and longer. What did you think?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

I'm sorry it's taken so long to update! I've been really busy with work. I will try to update Slytherin Adoption some time this week. Here's chapter three of Alana Malfoy. Let me know what you think!

Harry was gasping for breath by the time he made it to the dungeons. His lungs felt like they were on fire, he was sweating profusely despite feeling ice cold, and it hurt his ribs to breathe. Finally, just when he thought he'd collapse, he made it to the Potions Classroom and slid into his chair. He lay his forehead on the cool surface of the table and closed his eyes. He couldn't be bothered to move, even when someone sat next to him.

"Potter," a very familiar voice said softly. Harry forced himself to sit up, slowly, and looked at Malfoy. He tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. "Alana wanted...Potter, are you okay?"

"I...I don't feel good," he whispered just before his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fainted. Luckily, Draco was able to catch him before he hit the stone floor.

"Sir!" Draco called out. Severus Snape turned from where he was writing instructions on the black board and raised an eyebrow at seeing Potter in his Godson's arms. "He fainted, Professor, and he's burning up." Severus strode over to the two.

"He's just faking it!" Ronald Weasley suddenly shouted. "Like he doesn't get enough attention already!" Severus and Draco stared at the redhead in shock.

"You're just mad because Potter wouldn't let you bully Alana," Pansy retorted as she stepped up next to Draco. Severus's eyes narrowed.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for bullying a First Year, Mr. Weasley." Severus hissed. "Another twenty for shouting in my classroom." Without another word to the silently fuming redhead, the Potions Master turned to Draco and took Harry, cradling him gently and shocking all the students present. "Mr. Malfoy, you're in charge. I expect everyone to work on the potion silently. If I'm not back when the bell rings, put your completed potion on my desk before you leave." He turned and swept out of the classroom, headed for the Infirmary.

"Madame Pomfrey!" he called, laying Harry on one of the beds. "Poppy!" he shouted when she didn't respond. Pomfrey came out of her office and scowled when she saw Harry.

"I swear that boy will do anything for attention," she muttered. Severus blinked in shock. What the hell was going on? Poppy did a quick scan. "It's just a fever," she said and pointed her wand at Harry, waking him up. The boy slowly opened his eyes, blinking at the bright lights. He groaned when he realized he was in the Hospital Wing.

Harry looked around until his eyes landed on Professor Snape. He tried to speak but his mouth was very dry. The man silently handed him a glass of water, which Harry gratefully took and gulped down half before handing it back and leaning back on the pillows.

"W...what happened?" he asked, voice raspy and barely above a whisper.

"You fainted," Pomfrey replied before Snape could, causing the man to scowl at her. "Here's a fever reducer." She thrust the potion at him before disappearing in her office, clearly dismissing him. He went to drink it but the Potions Master stopped him with a frown. "That doesn't look like a Fever Reducer," he explained as he took it out of Harry's hands and sniffed it. His frown deepened. "Consider yourself lucky, Potter," he drawled. "She was in such a hurry that she grabbed Skelegro instead of a Fever Reducer." Snape stalked over to the Potions closet, grabbed the right one, and walked back over to Harry, who quickly drank it. Harry then attempted to stand and very nearly collapsed. He would have, too, if Snape hadn't caught him, holding him until he was steady. They slowly made their way into the hall.

"Follow me," Snape said and turned to the dungeons. Snape slowed his pace to match Harry's, watching said boy out of the corner of his eye. It was very clear something was very wrong, more than a fever.

The boy was sweating, his feet were unsteady, and he was having a hard time breathing. Suddenly, Harry collapsed, falling to the ground before Severus even knew what was happening. Severus sighed and scooped the boy in his arms.

"Don't you eat, Potter?" Severus asked, his voice lacking his normal malice, as he felt how little the 17-year-old weighed. Harry just blinked up at him as Severus headed for his quarters. They were almost there when Harry finally spoke.

"I...I'm s...sorry, sir." Severus looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"For what, Potter?" He spoke the password and went straight to the guest room.

"Fainting," Harry replied. "You having to carry me." He paused and took a deep breath. "I promise I'm not doing this for attention." Severus set him gently on the bed.

"Potter, I can assure you if I thought you were doing this for attention, I wouldn't have brought you here." Harry just stared at him like he couldn't believe him. Severus sighed and took out his wand, causing the boy to flinch. "Relax, Potter," Severus murmured. "I am just going to run a complete diagnostic scan, something I doubt Pomfrey did." Harry bit his lip, eyes frantically scanning the room, as though looking for an escape route. Finally, he looked at Severus again. "How complete?" he whispered.

As it turned out, Severus never did show back up to class. The seventh years who finished their potions bottled them up and placed them on the Professor's desk. Those who didn't hoped that just this once, Professor Snape wouldn't notice. The class was completely silent as everyone packed up and started leaving, glad that there were no more classes until Monday.

Draco had just left the classroom, having made sure it was spotless just like his Godfather liked it, when he heard arguing. Loud arguing. It was coming from a nearby, empty classroom. Draco stayed right outside, especially when he heard Potter's name.

"How could you be so heartless!" a voice that sounded suspiciously like Granger's said.

"Oh come on, Hermione!" That was definitely Weasley. And he'd just confirmed it was, indeed, Granger who'd spoken. "Of course Potter was faking it. He loves being the center of attention!" There was a moment of silence.

"What did Parkinson mean when she said Harry wouldn't let you bully Alana?" Granger's voice was soft but determined.

"Hermione, I…"

"What did she mean, Ronald?!" Granger's voice rose in volume. "What on Earth possessed you to bully a First Year?" It was silent again. "Why is Harry so afraid of you?"

"Because he should be!" Weasley shouted. "Someone had to put him in his place...finally!"

"Ronald Weasley, you are so pathetic! How could you…"Slap!

"Don't ever speak to me like that again," Weasley hissed before storming out of the room. He was so angry he never noticed Draco as he went down the corridor. The blonde waited until he had disappeared before slowly entering the room. The clearly visible handprint on Granger's right cheek made his blood boil. He may not like Granger much but he would never hit a woman. Ever.

Granger looked up when he entered, tears sliding down her cheeks. For a moment, they just stared at each other. After another moment, Granger pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket, her eyes never leaving his.

"This fell out of Harry's pocket earlier, in Potions," she said softly. "It's addressed to you." She handed it to him and then she was gone. Draco stared at the folded piece of parchment, his name clearly scrawled on it in Potter's handwriting. Slowly, he opened it.

Malfoy,

Is the offer still open?

Potter

Draco was very confused until suddenly, it clicked. First year. His offer of friendship. Potter's rejection. Draco smiled slightly and tucked the parchment in a pocket of his robes, finally leaving the classroom and heading to the Great Hall for dinner.

Severus sat in his favorite armchair, in front of a roaring fire, fire whiskey in one hand and a sheet of parchment in the other. He'd put a light sleeping charm on Potter and was going over the results of his diagnostics scan. Now he knew Pomphrey either hadn't done one or ignored what it said. He also knew why Potter had seemed frightened when he said he was doing one.

Harry Potter was only seventeen and his parchment was three times the size of most adults. It listed every broken bone, bruise, illness, and internal injury the boy had ever had. Severus drained his glass and poured another before setting it on a side table, picking up a quill, and reading through the list.

He marked off every injury he knew the boy had gotten playing Quidditch, dealing with the "Dark Lord", or just fooling around. He also marked off any illnesses he knew Harry had had while at the school. Thanks to the vow he'd once made to Lily, Severus had kept close tabs on the raven-haired teen.

Next, he marked off any injury that could be from normal roughhousing, as he was a boy. That still left an atrocious amount of injuries and illnesses. Sighing, Severus once again drained his glass and stood up. He went into the room where Potter slept, put him in a deeper sleep, set a monitoring charm, and left for dinner. Too many people would be suspicious if he missed, plus he needed the nourishment for the long night ahead.


	4. Chapter 4

Indeed, it did take Severus all night to heal Potter. He had to re-break bones so he could heal them correctly. He completely cleaned out his stock of Skele Gro and Scar Reducer. How the boy had been able to hide these injuries, some of them for years, was beyond Severus. Obviously, Potter was a lot stronger than Severus had ever given the boy credit.

He also found the source of Harry's illness. There were several whip marks on his back that were infected. The marks were a few weeks old. A few more days and the infection would have killed him. Severus was able to get the infection out and Harry's fever down.

Feeling himself away with exhaustion, Severus waved his wand to put everything away before setting another monitoring charm on the boy and going to bed. Luckily, there were no classes the next day.

Harry slowly opened his eyes to see sunlight streaming through the windows. Looking around, he could tell from the stone walls that he was in the dungeons, so the windows were probably enchanted to look like you could see outside.

"You're awake." The voice startled Harry and he instantly tensed until he saw Snape sitting in a chair in a corner of the room. He had a book in his lap, indicating he'd been there awhile. Harry slowly relaxed as he remembered the events of the day before. He still didn't fully trust the man, but the fact that the Potions Professor actually allowed him to be in his personal quarters, not to mention let him sleep there, said a lot. Also, he couldn't feel any pain so Snape obviously healed him.

"I suppose you want to talk about what you found," he said in a soft voice. Snape didn't say anything for a long moment.

"There's someone who wants to see you," he finally said, ignoring Harry's words. With a flick of his wand, the door opened and a small, blonde-haired girl came hurtling into the room and jumped on the bed, hugging Harry tightly. He hugged Alana back and raised an eyebrow at Draco, who'd followed his sister into the room. The boy smirked.

"I guess you're her hero." Harry was even more confused. "She hasn't stopped talking about you since you saved her from Weasley." Harry shrugged.

"All I did was stated the truth," the raven haired boy replied. "She deserves to be here, same as anyone else."

"Not everyone feels that way, Mr. Potter." Professor Snape walked over to stand beside Draco and looked down at Harry, whose arms were still around Alana. It was silent for a long moment. Finally, Alana climbed off the bed and stood on the other side of Draco, holding his hand. Draco gave Harry a slight nod and left the room with his sister. Harry's eyes met Severus's.

"Explain." Harry had to fight a smile at the man's abruptness. Some things never change. He sighed and started talking. Once he started, he couldn't stop. He'd been keeping all of this inside for years and it felt nice to finally let it out, even if it was to Snape of all people.

He told him about his childhood with the Dursleys: about the cupboard, the beatings, the hatred. He talked about the chores and the starvation. Harry also told Snape about fifth year: how everyone assumed he'd known the vision was fake, had purposely led them to Voldemort, and had let Sirius die. He then told him about the beatings he got from his own Housemates, how they were afraid he'd go dark and they were trying to keep him in line.

Snape, for his part, kept completely silent, letting Harry talk, which the boy was grateful for. He had, at some point, moved to the chair on the other side of the bed from where he'd been standing, but made no other movement. When Harry had finally run out of steam, Snape looked him in the eyes and asked a question.

"Mr. Potter," he paused at the flinch Harry gave to the name. "Harry, were you raped?"

Draco walked his sister back to the common room, when suddenly he remembered the parchment in his pocket that Granger had given him earlier. He gave the password and entered, looking around the room until he spotted Blaise and Pansy. He walked over and let go of Alana's hand. She immediately went and sat next to Pansy.

"Can you guys keep an eye on her?" he asked quietly, making sure Alana couldn't hear. She didn't like being babysat as she thought she was old enough to take care of herself but Draco didn't like leaving her alone. Yes, maybe he was a little too overprotective but she was his baby sister.

Blaise raised an eyebrow but both he and Pansy nodded. Draco gave a brief smile of thanks and left through the portrait. He entered Severus's private quarters, taking a moment to smirk about how he was the only student to have a password to a teacher's private quarters, much less Severus Snape's. Taking a deep breath, he started towards the guest room.

Stopping outside the room to take another deep breath, he froze when he heard his Godfather's voice. It wasn't the fact that Severus was still in there. He knew Severus wanted to talk to Harry. It was the question he asked that froze Draco and chilled him to the bone.

"Harry, were you raped?" It was completely silent in the room.

"Y...yes," came a small whisper.

"Who?" Severus asked calmly but Draco could detect the hidden anger and he knew he was close to losing it. Luckily, Harry didn't notice.

"I can't tell you," Harry said softly. "They said they'd kill me if I ever told." Draco debated with himself for a few minutes and then, taking a third and final deep breath, he slowly entered the room.

"Hi, Harry." Harry blinked at him in surprise before lowering his eyes and fiddling with the comforter.

"H...How much did you h...hear?" Harry's voice was so soft, they had to strain to hear.

"Nothing," Draco lied. He didn't want to pressure the other teen into talking so he figured, if Harry thought he hadn't heard, he'd feel more relaxed. He was proven right when Harry sat back against the pillows, the tension leaving his body. "I just came to tell you the offer is still open." Harry's eyes flew to his in shock and confusion. Draco reached in his robes.

"Granger gave me this." Draco held out the note. "Apparently, you dropped it in Potions." A small smile lit Harry's face. "Well, I should get going." The blonde turned towards the door.

"Wait!" He turned back to Harry. "Thank you," the Gryffindor said shyly. Draco nodded and left.

After Draco left, Severus decided Harry had had enough questions for one morning. He told the boy to rest, as his body was still healing, and went into the sitting room. Now what was he supposed to do? He knew there was too much history for them to just ignore, but maybe they could work through it.

He now knew that Harry wasn't anywhere close to the spoiled boy he'd thought he was. That, coupled with the fact that Severus absolutely loathed anyone that abused a child, made him want to help the teen. He felt guilty for the way he had treated Harry, all because of the boy's father, who was dead. Knowing he'd have to confront both the Headmaster and and Head of Gryffindor, Severus summoned a bottle of Fire Whiskey and downed half of it before taking a deep breath. He set it on the table and, after a quick check on Harry to make sure he was still sleeping and to set a monitoring charm, he set off to Dumbledore's office.

Blaise and Pansy looked up as their blonde haired friend stormed into the common room.

"Alana," Pansy said quietly. "Why don't you go get ready for lunch?" Alana gave her brother a concerned look but just nodded and grabbed her things, taking them to her room. "Draco?" Pansy asked once the first year was gone. "What's wrong?" Draco sighed and turned to face them. They were startled by the tears swimming in his silver-blue eyes.

"He was raped," he choked out.

"Who?" Blaise asked as Draco sat in the chair across from them.

"Harry Potter." They stared at him with wide eyes. Draco pulled out the crumpled piece of parchment. "Granger gave this to me after Potions." He handed it to Pansy, who read it and handed it to Blaise. Draco explained about the fight he'd witnessed and his conversation with Granger.

"Weasley slapped her?" Blaise asked, horrified. Draco nodded. He went on to explain what he'd overheard when he'd gone back to talk to Harry.

"Whoever raped him has him terrified that they'll kill him," Draco said, his voice breaking as he tried to hold his tears. "This is all my fault," he whispered brokenly. He put his face in his hands. "If I hadn't been a prat when we first met, if I'd been nice, maybe he would have accepted my hand in friendship. Then I could have helped him, maybe even prevented some of…"

"Draco, stop it!" Alana's loud voice caused the three Slytherins to look over at the stairs in surprise. The eleven-year-old had tears running down her cheeks, indicating she'd heard some, if not all, of what her brother had said. She walked down the rest of the stairs, a determined look in her eyes as she stopped in front of Draco. She placed a hand on either cheek and made him look at her.

"You can't live in the past," she told him seriously. "All any of us can do now is help him." Draco gave a smile, albeit a small one. He reached up and gently wiped her tears.

"When did you get so smart?" She just giggled and the four of them headed to lunch.

Severus was halfway to the Headmaster's office when he remembered that it was just about lunchtime, so the Headmaster would most likely be in the Great Hall. Sighing, he turned around and headed to lunch. He had barely sat down at the Head Table, when Albus began speaking.

"I heard Mr. Potter fainted in your class yesterday afternoon, Severus." The Potions Master just grunted, as he began filling his plate, afraid that if he said anything, he'd explode right there in the Great Hall, which would not be a good thing. He was pretty sure Harry would not appreciate his secrets being spilled to the entire school. "Where is Mr. Potter now?" Albus continued. "He hasn't been seen since Poppy gave him a fever reducer."

"You mean since she almost caused him to have to regrow bones that didn't need regrowing," Severus muttered, finally looking at Albus. "She gave him the wrong potion. Luckily, I was there or he would have had one hell of a night."

"Poppy is a very busy woman, Severus. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm and the boy can be a little over dramatic." Severus abruptly stood, his appetite completely gone.

"I'll be in your office, Albus," he said softly. "I need to talk to you." His onyx eyes turned to Minerva. "It'd be best if you were there." Without waiting for a response, Severus stalked out of the hall, robes billowing behind him.

Twenty minutes later, Severus looked up as Albus and Minerva entered the office. The Headmaster sat behind his desk, while Minerva sat in the chair next to Severus's.

"Alright," Albus sighed. "What is it you wished to discuss, Severus?" Severus was silent as he carefully put up his occlumency shields so the Headmaster, who was a master occlumens, would only know what Severus told him. "Severus?" The Professor looked up and took a deep breath.

"Harry Potter."


End file.
